Atlanta Motor Speedway using new bar to entice social racing fans

Atlanta Motor Speedway will open new Restart Bar in late February in time for second big race in NASCAR’s racing season. PHOTO: ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

The Atlanta Motor Speedway is removing dozens of grandstand seats to create a new standalone bar and hospitality area, a move that recognizes the desire of customers to hobnob more during races, the track’s president says.

“The way people experience events is a little more mobile,” AMS president Ed Clark said. “This is a first step for us. You’re going to see our company look at other opportunities and avenues to reach the changing consumer.”

The addition of the Speedway’s Restart Bar and its accompanying hospitality area are the latest updates among Atlanta’s sporting destinations over the last five years, although on a much smaller scale. (Clark declined to provide costs for the project, which will be completed in late February in time for the second race in the NASCAR season.)

The changes at the speedway come as the racing industry overall struggles to regain the popularity it had in the early 2000s. Ticket sales have fallen more than 10 percent in the last few years and viewership is off as much as 45 percent since 2005, according to published reports. NASCAR stopped reporting attendance figures in 2012.

“TV ratings, as for all sports, have dropped a bit,” Clark said.

Atlanta Motor Speedway’s seat removal is part of a national trend at tracks to slim down grandstands and convert the seats to new ways to generate revenue. Restart Bar will accommodate about 300 people and joins the track’s already established One Club — which can hold more than 700 visitors — in diversifying AMS’s offerings.

“We are not just a racing facility, we’re an entertainment and event facility,” Clark said. “We do a lot of catered events. We do a lot of corporate events and this will be perfect for those things.”

Debby Cannon, director of the hospitality program at Georgia State University, said Atlanta Motor Speedway is smart to branch out.

“It makes a lot of business sense,” she said. “They have analyzed how crowd and spectator behavior is changing and answered that. They also see that it can be a 365-day facility beyond big races and offer another place in metro Atlanta to hold social events, corporate business and capture business from loyal racing enthusiasts.”

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